Container side wall printing apparatus



Dec. 22, 1964 BAUER 3,162,115

CONTAINER SIDE WALL PRINTING APPARATUS Filed July 25 1963 INVENTOR.

Phil/pp J Bauer s& [L 88 United States. Patent M 3,162,115 CONTAINERSIDE' WALL PRINTING APPARATUS Philipp .F. Bauer, Chicago, Ill., assignorto Illinois Tool Works Inc., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of DelawareFiled July 25, 1963, Ser. No. 297,548 Claims. (Cl. 101-39) Thisinvention relates in general to printing apparatus for containers andmore particularly relates to apparatus for printing the side walls ofcontainers.

Sheet formed thin walled plastic containers are used in a great varietyof packaging applications, for example, for comestibles, cleansingpowders, staples, bulk items, and the like. For identification purposesof both the contents of the package and the name of the manufacturer, itis greatly desirable that the side walls of containers be printed.Printing of generally frusto-conical containers in a commerciallyacceptable trouble-free manner at low cost has presented a graveproblem. In order to print containers in an economically feasiblemanner, the containers must be printed automatically by suitableapparatus. The apparatus used heretofore has been deficient in that thedimensional variations that normally occur in the containers hasprevented uniform quality in the printing. While the dimensionalvariations in the container products have been acceptable from afunctional utilization standpoint, the dimensional variations havecaused irregular, or indistinct printing, making the whole container ascrap item. This is especially deleterious when it is remembered thatthe printing on the containers occurs after the complete formation andinspection of the container, thus causing a total loss on the productexcept for scrap value of the container.

1 The instant invention is directed toward a means for mounting thecontainer during the printing thereof which etficaciously afiordsprinting within a wide range of dimensional variations of the container.

It is an object of this invention to provide a mandrel means which ismounted on a mandrel arm by a pivotal connection, the pivotal connectionaffording a limited floating action of the mandrel whereby the containermounted on a mandrel may accommodate itself for efiicacious printingthereof.

More particularly it is an object of this invention to provide a pivotalconnection between a mandrel plug and a mandrel arm, the axis of thepivot being located so that it substantially intersects the mid-point ofthe printing width of the side walls of the containers to be printed.

The novel features that are characteristic of the invention are setforth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself,both as to its organization and its method of operation, together withadditional objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood bythe following description of a specific embodiment when read inconnection with accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view, partially in section,

Q of a mandrel plug and mandrel arm embodying my inventive concepts;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view of a portion of FIG. 1 showingthe relative movement of the various parts of the assembly;

3,162,115 Patented Dec. 22, 1964 Returning now to FIG. 4 of thedrawings, a printing apparatus 10 of conventional type is shown somewhatdiagrammatically, having a loading station 12 for a stack of containers14 located in a dispensing mechanism 16. The containers are loaded on tomandrel means 40 at station 12 whereupon the containers are indexed andfirmly tamped on to the mandrel means at a station 18 immediately to theleft of station 12. A tamper mechanism 20 in the form of an air cylinderis used to firmly locate the container on the mandrel means. Thecontainers then are moved to a printing station 22 where a printing drum24 actuated in timed relation by means 26 to the rotation of turret 38,prints suitable indicia and characters on the side walls of thecontainers as shall be explained.

The turret 38 then indexes the mandrel means and containers to the nextsucceeding station where cam means 30 and guide means 32 strip thecontainer and guide same for discharge down a chute at the take-offstation 34 where the containers are placed on a conveyor 36 for suitabledrying and stacking for packaging and shipment to the ultimate consumer.

The turret 38 has a plurality of mandrels 40 mounted on the radial endsof suitable spokes or mandrel arms 42 which are fixedly mounted forrotation as a unit in synchronized movement with the printing drum 24.The mandrel arms 42 are made of relatively heavy cylindrical stock andare fixed at their lower end to a suitable turret carriage means forrotation therewith.

At the radially outwardly ends of arms 42 are a jam nut 44 and a conicalnut 46 having a cone surface 47 thereon which are threaded on a suitablethreaded portion 48 of the arm. A portion of the arm 42 radiallyoutboard of the threaded portion 48 is of reduced diameter as shown at50 and the arm terminates with a partial spheroidal surface 52 having across bore 54 therein.

A pivot pin 56 is disposed in bore 54 of arm 42 and mounts sleeve member58 thereto. The sleeve member 58 is formed with an internal bore 60which cooperates with the spherical portion 52 of the mandrel arm.Sleeve member 58 is formed with suitable apertures 59 for receiving pin56 as best shown in FIG. 3. The lower end of mounted to the top ofsleeve member 58 to engage a spacer member 66 which in turn engages andtraps an upper ball bearing means 68. The ball bearing means 68 istrapped between the spacer 66 and a shoulder 70 in the mandrel plug 72.A lower ball bearing means 76 is trapped between shoulder 78 on mandrelplug 72 and a lower shoulder 74 on the outside surface of sleeve member58.

The mandrel plug 72 maybe formed from plastic such as nylon or the like,and may have a plurality of holes 86 therein for reduction in totalamount of material re- FIG. 3 is a fragmentary top view along line 3-3of 7 FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a view, partially semidiagrammatic in form,

of an apparatus utilizing the mandrel means shown in FIGS. 1 through 3;

quired and also provides venting passages for egress of air trappedbetween the plug and the container. The outer surface 82 of the mandrelplug is generally frustoconical in shape complementary to thefrusto-conical shape of the container to be printed. The exactangularity of the surface 82 Will, of course, vary with the particularcontainer to be printed. The containers 84 shown in FIGS. 4 through 7have a printable side wall portion 86 shown in FIG. 5 and it will benoted that the axis of FIGS. Sand 6 are views of mandrel means,container 7 means and a-printing surface, and the accommodation of themandrel means to different types of dimensional varithe pivot pin 56substantially intersects the mid-point of the printing surface 86. Themandrel arms 42 are located relative to the printing drum as best shownin FIGS. 4-7 so that the print receiving surface portion 86 is exactlytangent to the indicia imparting means 88 on the drum 24.

7 3 As the turret 38 indexes the mandrel means 40 having a container 84loaded thereon to the station 22, the drum 24 with printing indiciaimparting means 88 thereon rotate into engagement with surface 86 of thecontainer.

If the container has a thickened side wall portion at 90,

the mandrehas shown in FIG. 5, accommodates itself to this dimensionalvariation by pivoting on the axis of pin 56. The ball bearing races 68and 76 allow the container and mandrel portion 72 to rotate freely onthe sleeve member 58 so that the entire container side Wall may beprinted. As shown in FIG. 6, the mandrel accommodates itself to athickened upper portion 92 of the; side wall to be printed.- As shown inFIG. 2, the amount of'fre'edom or play in the pivotal movement about theaxis 56 is adjustable by adjustment of the nut 46 relative to sleeve 58.For setting up the printing apparatus, nut 46' may be located so thatsurface 47 engages and holds sleeve member 58 fairly rigidly, then beingbacked oft" and locked into position to accommodate itself to thedimensional variations of the particular container workpieces beingprinted.

The instant apparatus has greatly improved the commercial production ofprinted containers and greatly decreases the number of rejects ofcontainers due to faulty printing. 7 t 7 Although a specific embodimentof apparatus for printing the side walls of container has been shown anddescribed, it is with full awareness that many modifications thereof arepossible. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted exceptinsofar as is necessitated by the prior art and by the spirit of theappended claims.

What is claimed as the invention is:

1. Apparatus for printing the side walls of containers, includingrotatable indicia imparting means located at a fixed station and turretmeans for' moving containers to said fixed station for printing,comprising the improvement of mandrel means mounted on said turret, saidmandrel means having an outer configuration substantially complementaryto the interior of the container workpiece, and means mounting saidmandrel means to said turret means, saidmeans mounting said mandrelmeans to said'turret means being characterized as affording limitedpivotal movement to said mandrel means about anaxis intersectingopposite surfaces on the side Walls of the container workpiece which areto be printed to accommodate to-variations in the thickness of the sidewalls ofthe container workpiece.

V 2. Mandrel means for holding a container during printing of the sidewalls of said contanier comprising in combination an elongated memberhaving first and second spaced ends, bore means in said elongated membertransverse to the axis of said elongated member ad jacent said firstend, pin means mounted in said bore means, sleeve means mounted oversaid first end and connected to said pin means for limited pivotalmovement about said pin means, plug means for engaging a containertelescopingly mounted over said sleeve means and concentric thereto, andheating means interposed between said plug means and said sleeve meansfor rotation of said plug means on said sleeve means, whereby said plugmeans may be rotated relative to said sleeve means, and said sleevemeans may have limited relative pivotal movement to said elongatedmember.

3. The mandrel means set forth in claim 2 wherein adjustment means ismounted on said elongated member comprising a threaded portionintermediate said first and second ends and nut means on said threadedportion of said elongated member for cooperation with said sleeve meansto adjustably limitthe amount of pivotal movement of said sleeve memberon said elongated member.

4. The mandrel means set forth in claim 3 wherein said adjustment meansis in the form of a conical nut and said sleeve member is formed with acounterbore having a surface adjustably engageableby said conicalsurface.

5. A turret mechanism for mounting frusto-conical containers duringprinting of indicia on the side Walls thereof comprising turret meansmounted for rotation in a fixed plane and having a plurality of radiallyextending elongated spoke members extending generally radially outwardlyfrom the center thereof, mandrel means mounted on the radially outwardterminal ends of said elongated members, each of said mandrel meansbeing characterized as having an outer configuration substantiallycomplementary to the internal configuration of the container to beprinted and further characterized as being mounted to said elongatedmembers by means alfording a limited pivotal movement of said mandrelmeans about an axis transverse to the major axis of said elongatedmember, said mandrel means :being further characterized as beingrotatable about the major axis of said elongated member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,107,491 2/ 38McQuiston l0139 2,331,991 10/43 McElwain 101-38 EUGENE R. CAPOZIO,Primary Examiner.

1. APPARATUS FOR PRINTING THE SIDE WALLS OF CONTAINERS, INCLUDINGROTATABLE INDICIA IMPARTING MEANS LOCATED AT A FIXED STATION AND TURRETMEANS FOR MOVING CONTAINERS TO SAID FIXED STATION FOR PRINTING,COMPRISING THE IMPROVEMENT OF MANDREL MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID TURRET, SAIDMANDREL MEANS HAVING AN OUTER CONFIGURATION SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLEMENTARYTO THE INTERIOR OF THE CONTAINER WORKPIECE, AND MEANS MOUNTING SAIDMANDREL MEANS TO SAID TURRET MEANS, SAID MEANS MOUNTING SAID MANDRELMEANS TO SAID TURRET MEANS BEING CHARACTERIZED AS AFFORDING LIMITEDPIVOTAL MOVEMENT TO SAID MANDREL MEANS ABOUT AN AXIS INTERSECTINGOPPOSITE SURFACES ON THE SIDE WALLS OF THE CONTAINER WORKPIECE WHICH ARETO BE PRINTED TO ACCOMMODATE TO VARIATIONS IN THE THICKNESS OF THE SIDEWALLS OF THE CONTAINER WORKPIECE.